Dortmund eye victory over Villarreal

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Borussia Dortmund will hope to put their recent UEFA Champions League defeat at Manchester City firmly behind them when they welcome Villarreal to Signal Iduna Park on Tuesday (kick-off: 9pm CET).

Dortmund XI: Kobel – Anton, Anselmino, Schlotterbeck (c) – Couto, Sabitzer, Nmecha, Svensson – Adeyemi, Brandt – Guirassy

Villarreal XI: Júnior – Mouriño, Foyth (c), Veiga, Cardona – Comesaña, Gueye, Partey, Buchanan – Pépé, Oluwaseyi

LIVE blog

Guirassy’s hot-streak

Guirassy’s recent Champions League home record for Dortmund is impeccable. In his last eight UCL home games, he has scored 10 goals.

More on those teams

Both managers have decided to make a number of changes to their respective weekend teams, with Dortmund making five changes and Villarreal seven. Yan Couto, Aarón Anselmino, Marcel Sabitzer, Daniel Svensson and Karim Adeyemi all come into the side for Dortmund. For Villarreal, it is Santiago Mouriño, Juan Foyth, Sergi Cardona, Santiago Comesaña, Pape Gueye, Tajon Buchanan and Tani Oluwaseyi that make the starting XI.

Dortmund starting XI

Kobel – Anton, Anselmino, Schlotterbeck (c) – Couto, Sabitzer, Nmecha, Svensson – Adeyemi, Brandt – Guirassy

Dortmund subs

Ostrzinski, Meyer, Bensebaini, Bellingham, Gross, Duranville, Chukwuemeka, Silva, Can, Ryerson, Campbell, Mane

Villarreal starting XI

Júnior – Mouriño, Foyth (c), Veiga, Cardona – Comesaña, Gueye, Partey, Buchanan – Pépé, Oluwaseyi

Villarreal subs

Tenas, Altimira, Marin, Solomon, Moleiro, G. Moreno, Mikautadze, Parejo, Akhomach, Ayoze Pérez, Pedraza, Navarro

Dortmund team news

Alongside Niklas Süle, who continues to work his way back from a toe injury, Dortmund will be without Maxi Beier, who had to cut the final preparatory training session short. Niko Kovač stressed that fans needn’t worry, however, saying in his press conference: “Maxi played the full 90 minutes against Stuttgart on Saturday and pushed through. Nothing is torn, it’s just a tightness”.

Emre Can on conceding late goals

With Dortmund having dropped points from winning positions in their last two Bundesliga games courtesy of stoppage time goals after the 90th minute, club captain Can called for dilligence ahead of Villareal, saying: “We just need to be more focused in the last minutes, to be present. We all want to win these games, that’s not in question. I hope that from now on we’ll do that better again.”

Marcelino on facing Dortmund

“It will be a difficult match; how could it be otherwise? We expect it to be well-balanced. We know Dortmund are dangerous in attack, but we know we can hurt them. We must defend well, attack with poise, and be penetrative and aggressive in the final third. The result will be decided by the team that shows most determination and takes their chances.”

Kovač on facing Villarreal

“They’re performing really well in the league, just behind Barcelona and Real. They haven’t yet achieved what they could have in the Champions League. So tomorrow’s game is crucial for them, they’ll have to give it their all.”

Sinking Yellow Submarine?

Villarreal travel to Dortmund still searching for their first win in this season’s Champions League. The Yellow Submarine also took a point off Juventus after opening with a narrow defeat to Spurs, but have since lost to Man City (2-0) and tournament debutants Pafo (1-0). Despite consolidating third place in La Liga with a 2-1 win over Mallorca at the weekend, Marcelino’s side are 32nd in the 36-team league-phase standings.

Dortmund in the mix

Dortmund’s 4-1 loss in Manchester was their first in this season’s Champions League, after a 4-4 draw at Juventus and wins over Athletic Bilbao (4-1) and Copenhagen (4-2). BVB are currently 14th in the league-phase table, occupying one of eight seeded play-off places, but only two points outside the top eight. After Villarreal, they still have games against Bodø/Glimt, Tottenham Hotspur and Inter Milan to come.

2:03

Dortmund 3-3 Stuttgart – highlights

Dortmund fell nine points behind Bundesliga pacesetters Bayern Munich after twice giving up leads in a six-goal thriller with top-four rivals VfB Stuttgart. A similar fate befell BVB at Hamburg prior to the November international break and, coupled with defeat to Manchester City in their last Champions League outing, means the Black-Yellows are winless in three for the first time since Niko Kovač took over as head coach in February.

Welcome!

Welcome along and thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of Borussia Dortmund’s Champions League encounter at home to Villarreal on Matchday 5 of the league phase, which kicks off at 9pm CET on Tuesday.

Niko Kovač’s side were beaten 4-1 at the Etihad Stadium earlier this month, but that reverse has been the only blot on an otherwise impressive European campaign so far.

In fact, City and Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich – who triumphed 2-1 at the Allianz Arena on 18 October – are the only teams to defeat BVB so far this season.

Dortmund beat Athletic Club 4-1 in their only other home Champions League game so far this term. – Maja Hitij

Borussia plundered four goals themselves in each of their three other league-phase games, sharing the spoils in an eight-goal thriller with Juventus before securing comfortable victories over Athletic Club and Copenhagen on Matchdays 2 and 3.

Kovač is likely to be without defender Niklas Süle, whose toe injury is proving more complicated than initially expected. While fellow defender Ramy Bensebaini was struggling with a back problem, he recovered in time for the clash. Other than that, the 54-year-old is likely to have a full squad to choose from, with talented winger Julien Duranville also making a first-team squad for the first time this season following a shoulder injury.

Full-backs Yan Couto and Daniel Svensson and midfielder Marcel Sabitzer are among the players in line to be cycled back into the side. Germany forward Karim Adeyemi is also pushing for a start after scoring as a substitute in that game.

Watch: Kovač’s Dortmund flip tactical switch

Villarreal are in excellent domestic form themselves, having won each of their last three La Liga games to consolidate third place in the table behind leaders Real Madrid and current closest pursuers Barcelona.

European wins have proved much harder to come by, however. The Yellow Submarine have yet to claim their first victory of the Champions League league phase this season, drawing with Juventus but losing to Tottenham Hotspur, Man City and Cypriot outfit Pafos.

Villarreal were beaten by Cypriot side Pafos in their last Champions League game. – IMAGO/KOSTAS PIKOULAS

Head coach Marcelino and his players travel to the Signal Iduna Park without long-term absentees Pau Cabanes and Logan Costa, both of whom damaged knee ligaments during the summer. Willy Kambwala is also unlikely to return until the new year after tearing a thigh muscle in July.

Manor Solomon may miss out with a back problem, but Georges Mikautadze is closing in on a return to action following a muscle injury.

Stats

Dortmund have lost only two of their last 14 UEFA competition home matches against Spanish clubs (W8 D4).
Serhou Guirassy has scored 10 goals in his previous eight home games in the Champions League.
The Black-Yellows need two goals on Tuesday night to reach 350 in the European Cup/UEFA Champions League.
Borussia have lost only one of their last 19 Champions League matches at home (W12, D6).
This is the first UEFA competition meeting between Dortmund and Villarreal.
Villarreal are without a win in their last seven matches in the Champions League proper (D2, L5).

CONFIRMED teams

Dortmund: Kobel – Anton, Anselmino, Schlotterbeck (c) – Couto, Sabitzer, Nmecha, Svensson – Adeyemi, Brandt – Guirassy
Dortmund subs: Ostrzinski, Meyer, Bensebaini, Bellingham, Gross, Duranville, Chukwuemeka, Silva, Can, Ryerson, Campbell, Mane
Out: Süle (toe)
Coach: Niko Kovač

Villarreal: Júnior – Mouriño, Foyth (c), Veiga, Cardona – Comesaña, Gueye, Partey, Buchanan – Pépé, Oluwaseyi
Villarreal subs: Tenas, Altimira, Marin, Solomon, Moleiro, G. Moreno, Mikautadze, Parejo, Akhomach, Ayoze Pérez, Pedraza, Navarro
Out: Kambwala (hamstring), Cabanes (knee), Costa (knee)
Coach: Marcelino